disneyfan1313

It has to be the cost-benefit equation. The "coaster wars" have cooled down significantly lately and the reality is that a $10m addition will draw roughly the same number of visitors as something that costs $30-40m. This. It is all about maximizing your ROI. Parks realize that a unique draw that is cheaper is better than building something uuber expensive - plus I also think they are realizing that the life cycle of rides is a little less than it used to be.

^ Robb and Elissa are on the China trip right now so it might be a while before you get a more exact answer, but for the 2012 trips the deposit ranged from $175 for the short Leviathon trip to $275 for New Hotness to $375 for the Beijing trip. If you have $500 lined up for a deposit it should be good.

Thanks for the update! It really is almost shocking how quickly they are pushing the expansion along. Thanks also for posting some of the details from the HHN theming - I wonder if there will be a "Collective" level backstory this year.

Great opening day photos - thank you!!! It is great to see such good quality ones!

This does seem to be a bit of an odd gamble for the area. Do you think it could be because of all the retirees in Scottsdale that need a place to take grandchildren when visiting?

^But you have to deal with people from Tampa when you go to HOS which is a huge negative... It really is all preference - HOS seems to rely more on "BOO" startle scares and HHN is more story-line driven type scares that you may or may not see in one pass through. I personally prefer the immersive story at HHN more. Oh, and the fact they have all new mazes every year!

^ Right, but what I am saying is that cycle time is something that can be addressed. You can train both guests and employees to move faster and load more efficiently. Even if they can shave a minute off of each cycle time, that is huge. With little oversight and operators that stared off into the distance while the guests fumbled with the restraints - it didn't help the problem.

Right - because at the end of the day, that is what their demographic cares about. Its easily marketable and it pulls in the "teen boy who drinks Full Throttle energy and will buy a YOLO shirt" demographic that they cater to. Its a tough pill to swallow sometimes but SFMM doesn't care about us, they care about making as much $$$ as possible.

^^ Don't you think it would have done well with the second boat if the operators were trained properly and there was some more signage or video in the queue on how to load/unload/deal with restraints, etc? I think cycle time was an issue, but I kinda feel like mechanical issues were the bigger concern.

^^^ Robb and Elissa have just started their China trip, so it might be a little bit of time before an answer on #1 or #3. For #2, Elissa can generally help you plan flights if you do two trips back to back. ^^ This is a tough question to answer since every park and every year varies greatly based on trip schedule and what the park is able to offer. I can tell you from experience that I have always seen people VERY happy at the amount of rides that they have gotten during ERT. Trust me when I say that the trip will have more ERT than you can possibly handle..

All the trips sound AMAZING but I really have my heart set on Mexico! After experiencing the amazing level of detail and care that Robb and Elissa put into these trips there is no other way that I would visit Mexico.

OMG. So amazing! I really enjoy Resident Evil and I hope we eventually get an RE maze here, even though I know it won't be as cool.

^^^ OMG me also! I try and describe that to people and it ends up being a very WTF kind of description.

^ Agreed. For all of Knott's posturing that they aren't competing with DCA I feel like they have to feel some pressure from cars land.

^ While I am not sure that SFMM needs another sit down coaster, you do bring up an interesting point. Do stand ups really add value to parks anymore? I'm not sure the GP really enjoy them - although Green Lantern at SFGrAdv is doing well so I could be wrong!

Wow! Amazing so far!! Can't wait to see more. Are the tailors in Thailand as good as what you hear about in Hong Kong?

^ Interesting. I would bet with the changes at Gaylord that the project will be on "indefinite" hold. Shame really though!

^^ I agree. I am not a fan of ejector air time. Too much possibility for pain which isn't fun! I very rarely ride with my arms up though - I need that sense of security by holding on a bit.

I'm actually rather surprised the city wasn't mildly interested. They have been pretty gung-ho recently about trying new and creative things to bring revenue into the city. While the full idea is a bit over the top and not perfectly thought out there might be something there!

Awesome Find! Kids stuff was super creepy back then and the early 80s. Not sure how we are all somewhat sane!

^^ While the market research is critical, thats going to give you just a broad idea like "more flats" or "more kids stuff" not specific rides. I think in most cases the park adds what they feel is right for the market - KK being a much smaller market than Great Adv. wouldn't add a "tentpole" type ride like Kingda Ka.

Great photos! It's almost impossible to tell how awesome a TPR event is without experiencing it! Glad you got to go to one and hopefully there will be more in your future!

^ Interesting idea! But not only would the cost be significantly higher, the cycle time would be as well.

How strange (not Piers.. thats normal).. Is it the abrupt ending that would cause this? Does crossing your legs really help? It is interesting both of the lawsuits were younger girls.

^ Agreed. And its like the "chocolate lava" cake has become the obligatory "fancy" dessert on every restaurant menu in the world. Remember when they were special?